Admission Criteria


  1. Commitment to the mission of BYU and its sponsoring organization, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

    BYU's Executive MBA program is committed to developing individuals who will make a difference for good in the world through their service to their families, to their professions, to their church, and to their communities. Membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not required for admittance into the program, but an understanding of and a commitment to support the Church's mission is necessary. Please refer to the web sites of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the BYU Honor Code for additional information about the mission of BYU and the Church.

  2. Evidence of management and leadership skills.

    These skills are evidenced through completion of the Executive MBA application (statement of intent, resume, letters of recommendation), work experience, LDS mission experience (if applicable), and an interview with a member of the admissions committee (interviews are conducted by invitation only, and are offered to applicants the admissions committee deems competitive for admission to the program after review of the completed application). A minimum of five years of full-time, management experience is required. Average work experience for admitted applicants is 6.8 years.

  3. Academic ability.

    The following two factors are considered:
    • Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) score. All MBA applicants must take the GMAT; no other test may substitute. The admissions committee pays particular attention to the quantitative (math) score (greater than the 50th percentile is typically necessary); it does not use the analytical (written) portions of the test in the admission process. The average GMAT score for students admitted to the EMBA program is 608; scores below 560 are generally not considered competitive for admission (In certain circumstances, the EMBA admissions will consider waiving the GMAT. Please contact Tad Brinkerhoff, EMBA Director at 801-422-6252 or at tad@byu.edu for details).
    • Grade point average (GPA).The admissions committee pays particular attention to the last 60 credit hours of the undergraduate program. The average GPA for the last 60 hours for students admitted to the EMBA program is 3.0.

  4. Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university.

    For international students the undergraduate degree must be equivalent to a U.S. four-year degree. Contact the BYU Office of Graduate Studies at gradstudies@byu.edu with any questions about degree equivalency.

  5. Completion of the proficiency exams.

    All admitted applicants must pass proficiency exams in each of the following areas by July 1, 2008:
    1. Accounting
    2. Statistics
    Details are available on the Proficiency Exams page.

  6. For International Applicants Only: Strong English skills as evidenced by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

    All international students for whom English is NOT the first language and who receive their undergraduate degree from a foreign university are required to take either the TOEFL or the IELTS.

    The TOEFL/IELTS requirement is waived for international applicants who receive an undergraduate degree from an accredited U.S. university. The degree must not be older than 2 years at the time of enrollment to qualify for the exemption.

    The minimum scores required on the TOEFL are:
    • TOEFL iBT
       Total score of 94 on the internet-based test (minimum score of 22 in Speaking and minimum score of 21 in Listening, Reading, and Writing)
    • TOEFL (Computer-based)
       240
    • TOEFL (Paper-based)
       590
    • IELTS
       Overall band score of 7.0 (minimum band score of 6.0 in each module)

    The TOEFL/IELTS score is valid for two years. The MBA program requires that TOEFL/IELTS scores be valid as of the date applicants enter the program; for the Fall 2008 application period, TOEFL/IELTS scores are valid for tests taken August 2005 and later.